


Bedtime Stories

by HyperKid



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Caleb needs to read them bedtime stories, Fluff, Molly can’t read, Multi, Other, Reading, Tieflings make excellent book rests, Tusk Love is a bedtime story, adorable trouble, cuddling up, tieflings are trouble
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-20
Updated: 2019-01-20
Packaged: 2019-10-13 03:59:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17480753
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HyperKid/pseuds/HyperKid
Summary: Nights on the road are difficult, especially approaching winter. Jester and Molly need a bedtime story to get to sleep. Caleb is the obvious choice.Too bad the only novels they have are porn.





	Bedtime Stories

**Author's Note:**

> HK: I... I was going to post Critmas part 2 this weekend. But then literally, NOT EVEN SEEING 48 MYSELF, JUST THE EXPLOSIONS has wrecked me a lil bit.   
> Mollymauk: You knew you avoided them for a reason.   
> HK: Yeah well now I needed some fluff. Luckily I have a backup list of 9000 fluffy ideas for you lot!   
> Mollymauk: I live to improve your lives.   
> HK: Not anymore you don’t.   
> Mollymauk: And that’s why you have fanfiction. 
> 
> WARNINGS!! 10 seconds of Caleb being Caleb, but Molly is there to fix 
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing but I’m taking credit for “Fjord is Scanlan’s son” if I can get that to take off

“Caleb.” 

 

The wizard glanced over, already on alert just from the tone. Jester never sounded so innocent unless she was already plotting something. The sweet smile and wide, bright eyes as she watched  him, chin in her hands reinforced the worry. Molly beaming innocently beside her did not help. 

 

“Yes, Jester?” He asked resignedly, closing his book. Two tieflings looking for his attention usually meant there was some fuckery afoot. 

 

A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. At least it was usually good fuckery. 

 

Molly’s grin broadened when he saw the smile and he leaned in closer. 

 

“We were wondering if you’d read us a bedtime story.” 

 

Caleb glanced around the clearing, checking on the rest of the Nein. Fjord, officially on watch with Nott, was poking a stick into the fire. Beau had curled herself up just barely arm’s length from Yasha to sleep, clearly hoping to be tugged in against the cold. The horses where huddled together by the cart, grazing. 

 

No one was really paying attention. 

 

He sighed softly and gave his book one last look. He got the feeling they would not be interested in his spell research. 

 

“What kind of story?” He asked, momentarily gratified by how one simple sentence could brighten up their faces. Jester’s grin was just a little too wicked, though... 

 

“This one!” She chirped happily, pushing a book into his hands. Caleb closed his eyes, groaning softly. He just Knew what book this would be. 

 

“Jester...” Steeling himself, he peeked down. Yes, the cover of Tusk Love looked back at him. Jester cocked her head, smiling at him like butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth. 

 

“Yes?” 

 

Molly chuckled softly, giving Caleb the best innocent smile he could manage. It was beautiful, but not remotely convincing to anyone who’d had more than one conversation with him. 

 

“Pretty please?” He asked, batting his lashes. He was fully aware his companions would see right through it. That was part of made it fun. 

 

“Why don’t you have Molly read it to you?” Caleb offered, pushing the book in Molly’s direction. The tiefling probably wouldn’t even blush reading the filthy book aloud. Caleb was blushing just from the thought. 

 

Molly pouted, his tail flicking behind him like a particularly inquisitive cat. 

 

“Caleb, I can’t read that well,” he pointed out like it was the obvious problem. Jester pouted dramatically, her tail coiling around Molly’s. 

 

“That’s not a nice thing to say, Caleb.” 

 

Caleb just stared at him blankly for a moment. The thought never would have occurred to him on its own. He stuttered a few times, knowing full well the hurt on Molly’s face was fake, seeing the amusement in his red eyes, and still feeling like an asshole. 

 

“I’m sorry, Molly, I didn’t...” 

 

“It’s okay,” Mollymauk cut him off, coming around to tuck himself up to Caleb’s side, curling up like a cat, “just read me a story.” 

 

Knowing full well that he was going to give in, Caleb made one last attempt. 

 

“Are you sure you wouldn’t like a different story?” He offered weakly. Jester giggled, coming around to mirror Molly’s position at his other shoulder. 

 

“Very sure. We don’t really have many what you’d call novels.” 

 

“And Beau said the history porn was boring,” Molly added, resting his chin on Caleb’s shoulder to grin at him. 

 

That, Caleb couldn’t argue with. Tusk Love did have a lot more going on. Fighting a smile, he opened the book at the beginning. 

 

Little sounds of dissent came from both shoulders and he paused, glancing from side to side. 

 

“What?” 

 

Jester leaned over, taking the book back and flicking to a particular scene. Without even looking, Caleb knew what it would be. He gave her a look. 

 

She smiled back sweetly, her tail flicking into his lap. 

 

“Yes, Caleb?” 

 

The tip of her tail bumped into Molly’s doing exactly the same thing. 

 

Caleb thought about calling them out on it. Asking if they wouldn’t rather just go find somewhere more private. But there was more than a hint of mischief in Caleb too. 

 

He gave her his best innocent expression. It was a lot more convincing than Molly’s. 

 

“But Jester, if we don’t start at the beginning Mollymauk won’t know what’s going on!” 

 

Molly leaned further over Caleb’s shoulder to squint at the page in question and snickered. 

 

“I think there might be context clues,” he pointed out, “like Jester giggling.” 

 

Caleb shook his head very seriously, turning back to the beginning of the book. 

 

“No, if we are going to have story time we are going to do it properly. We will start at the beginning of the book.” 

 

Jester sighed dramatically, spilling herself into Caleb’s lap and pouting up at him. 

 

“Fiiiiiiine.” 

 

Molly leaned down to kiss her forehead. 

 

“Hush and let the man read, love.” He met Caleb’s eye and grinned, fangs shining in the firelight. 

 

Caleb returned the smile, then cleared his throat and began to read. 

 

“Oskar stood at his window, gazing out at the city below...” 

 

There was a little shuffling and shifting as the two tieflings settled themselves, Jester scooting back until just her head was in Caleb’s lap, looking up at the underside of the book. One of her horns rested against his stomach, not quite poking him but a definite reminder. 

 

Molly draped himself across Caleb’s shoulders, gaze down on the pages. Caleb wasn’t sure whether or not he was actually reading along; it’d be like Molly to fake it to get him to read them a dirty book, but it would also make a lot of sense. 

 

Either way, it was nice. Peaceful. Cuddled up with a warm body on either side, the now familiar story unfolding before them. Caleb did his best to keep it engaging, playing with inflections and giving each of the characters a different voice. Occasionally this earned him a surge of giggles from his lap. 

 

He punished her by resting the book on her forehead. 

 

That made Molly laugh, but Caleb was out of props so he just nudged the taller tiefling with his shoulder and kept reading. There was a lot of novel to get through. They would probably have to do this again. 

**Author's Note:**

> HK: As always, I accept requests but they sometimes take me a lil time (yes Caleb and Jester as Molly’s subs is in the works but them kneeling for Caduceus came to me in a dream so). Let me know what you think!


End file.
